Soil is one of the planet's invaluable resources but continues to be degraded in Europe. Together, the mineral particles, water, air, organic matter, and living organisms that constitute soil perform key functions which underpin our society.

Nearly all of the food and fibres used by humans are produced on soil. Soil is also essential for
water and ecosystem health. It is second only to the oceans as a global carbon sink, with an
important role in the potential slowing of climate change. Soil functions depend on a multitude
of soil organisms which makes it an important part of our biodiversity. Nevertheless, soil in
many parts of Europe is being over-exploited, degraded and irreversibly lost due to impacts from
industrial activities and land use change, leading to soil sealing, contamination, erosion and loss of
organic carbon. Due to these problems, legislation for the protection of soils has been proposed at
EU level.

Soil erosion by wind and water, largely the result of unsuitable land management, deforestation, overgrazing, construction activities and forest fires, affects around 17% of Europe’s land area. Erosion rates and extents are expected to continue to reflect changing patterns of land use and climate change.

During the Soviet era, Dedoplistskaro in south east Georgia was the country’s main production area for wheat and sunflower seeds. That came to an end in 1991 when Georgia became independent and Russia cut off its energy supply. To survive the cold winters, the people resorted to cutting down trees for firewood, stripping the countryside of the windbreaks that protected the crops and soil from the harsh desert winds and provided a natural habitat for many species of animals and plants.